Kitsumkalum are the people of the Robin, a tribe proper galts’ap (community) of the Tsimshian Nation living near the City of Terrace in northern British Columbia where the Skeena and Kitsumkalum Rivers meet. The Kitsumkalum land region combines both coastal and inland areas that cover 5,941,000 hectares. The coastal area begins at Portland Inlet in the north and extends southwards through Chatham sound, including important sites around Edye Pass and down Grenville and Principe Channels.

Our Galts’ap

We are a strong and proud galts’ap and are an integral part of the Tsimshian Nation with archaeological evidence placing property holdings (laxyuup/territories) in the Kitsumkalum Valley, along the Skeena River, Zymacord, and many special sites surrounding coastal and inland areas of the Northwest Coast prior to 1846 and as far back as 5,000 years BP. Kitsumkalum has always been intimately connected to its other Tsimshian tribes through marriages, adoptions, and the sharing of resources in their common grounds.

We come from a traditional and intricate society with complete ayaawx (Tsimshian Law) and rules governing our people, economic rights and relations with other First Nations.

Our origin stories place us in our traditional lands since time immemorial.

We have a sacred trust and responsibility to care for our traditional territory, and our connection to the land and coast is part of who we are as Tsimshian. Kitsumkalum has evolved into a modern-day society, even after colonization we continue to practice aboriginal rights and title to fish, harvest, gather and engage in cultural and spiritual activities. Since the Su-sit’Aatk ceremonies, we have continued making advancements, rekindling our house groups (waap) traditions of land stewardship, harvesting and economic rights fully in the Tsimshian way of life.

We welcome partnerships for economic development opportunities that meet the goals for a sustainable future, as we will continue to be caretakers of the land.

Our connections to the coast are embedded in our stories since time immemorial.

People of the Riffles

The third town site for Kitsumkalum is the one from which the people take their name. This is the town situated at the mouth of the Kalum River, just west of the City of Terrace. When you drive over the highway bridge, you can look up the Kalum River and watch the water rush over the gravel bars in riffles. Many people say the Kitsumkalum name refers to these riffles.

Elder Winnie Wesley explained the name as follows:

“Kitsumkalum they call it. Kitsumkalum. You know where that river [runs? We] call them Kalum. There’s a bunch of rocks there and [the] rocks… That’s what we call Kaala. That’s why they call this place Kitsumkalum.”

Vera Henry put it this way:

“You know when the [Kitsumkalum] River goes down, you know [when] you could see the sandbar? [The rocks] move if you really watch them. They go like that- move- the water underneath it, bubbling, makes them move. Kaala they call this… You see where it is by the bridge? You could see it really easy. That’s the [settler’s who] call it Kitsumkalum…. I always call it Kaala.”

As a Tsimshian galts’ap, Kitsumkalum shares an interest in the common heritage and territory of this nation. Kitsumkalum will continue to practice our inherent rights to be caretakers of our sacred and important site surrounding coastal and inland areas.

Dałk Gyila Kyoo

Robin Town

Traditionally, the main town was Dałk Gyilakyaw, which usually translated as Robin Town. Gyilakyaw means robin and the word Dałk describes a type of house built by important Sm’gyigyet (chiefs). Robin Town is sometimes called the old capital of Kitsumkalum because all the families eventually came to live there. The central importance of this town to the history of the Kitsumkalum people, resulted in their nickname “the People of the Robin,” a name they frequently use today.

Robin Town was situated at the Canyon of the Kalum River. The site has not been occupied since the 1930s but the area is protected as Kitsumkalum Indian Reserve 3, which is called Dał-ga-kila-quoeux. (Dał-ga-kila-quoeux is an old way people spelled Dałk Gyilakyaw.)

Robin Town has been described as large.
Henry Pierce said:

“The formation of the rocks of Kit-sum-kalum Canyon, lay in tiers, and tradition says that the first village discovered there was built right on the topmost tier. Robin Town became a large village of three rows, and a great many people were in that village, who shouted when the geese were flying over the village. When they shouted, the geese would fall down to the ground and die.”

In 1918, the Tlingit anthropologist, Louis Shotridge, was told the following, by a Kitsumkalum leader, probably Sam Kennedy:

“In the course of time, when other parties from upper Skeena River came down to join the community, the place gradually grew to a very large town. It was divided into different sections, each section being a singe row of houses arranged on level ledges staged down the embarkment and occupied by different phreatric divisions. The town grew so large that on some occasions a visitor from one section to another disappeared.”

A town of this size must have been a busy place with many houses, many of which would have been beautifully decorated. Waaps Nisgankwadzeks (an important family) has a house in Robin Town with a huge carving of a shark at the top of the house. The figure ran the full length of the house. The figure ran the full length of the building, with the head protruding over the rear. The carving represented a family crest of dzepk called K’aat (dogfish).

The main residential area for Robin Town was the west bank of the canyon, but the other side ws easily accessible and was also used. A log bridge lay across the canyon, probably constructed like other Tsimshian suspension bridges. Sam Kennedy said a crest pole owned by Waaps Lagaax, and called K’a’adum Bilhaa or can of abalone, stood across from Robin Town.

(James Andrew McDonald, People of the Robin. Terrace: National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication, 2003.)

Gitondakł

People of the Tie/Binding

Another important town recorded in the narratives is Gitondakł, a site located between the Canyon and Kitsumkalum Lake. Gitondakł was the town shared by the Lagibuu and Ganhada people. Chief Charles Nelson (Sm’oogyet Xpilaxha) said that when his ancestors moved from Kitsumkalum Lake “they came down the river about four miles to where it was shallow. Here they constructed salmon traps, and settled in a new village, calling it the village of Gitondakł, People-of-the-tie or binding.” They made this their home, but a natural event made it impossible for them to stay.

One summer, according to the oral histories, the people of Gitondakł found the fish were not coming. Xpilaxha was concerned and sent some of his men down river to discover the reason. They returned with the news that a rockslide had blocked the river and was preventing the salmon from coming up. This created a serious problem for the people who depended on the salmon runs for their food. After some discussion, the decision was made to leave Gitondakł and move down to join Robin Town where they were made welcome by Nisgeel.

“They came down the river about four miles to where it was shallow. Here they constructed salmon traps, and settled in a new village, calling it the village of Gitondakł, People-of-the-tie or binding.” – Charles Nelson

(James Andrew McDonald, People of the Robin. Terrace: National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication, 2003.)

Ts’iwaan Loop

Stone Finger/Salvus

The name Ts’iwaan Loop is Sm’algyax for Stone Finger or, in literal translation, finger (ts’iwaalt) and rock or land (loop). The name Salvus does not have any indigenous roots, but instead refers to a railway stop created by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The name has also been applied to other features in the surrounding geographic area, such as Salvus Mountain.  

Cultural Importance 

Members of Kitsumkalum continued to live at Ts’iwaan Loop until very recently. It served as another important residential area along the Skeena with its geographic location aiding in the collection and processing of goods and resources. The community at Ts’iwaan Loop was impacted by the creation of the railway and the station that was built there and even began to refer to their residences as being at Salvus. The members of Kitsumkalum who lived there made use of the convenience of a railway stop, yet they continued to live at and use Ts’iwaan Loop for its traditional purposes or resource gathering and processing.  

Traditional Use 

Even with the creation of the railway and its linking of Ts’iwaan Loop to the rest of the Canadian railway, Ts’iwaan Loop continued to have a community that was strongly connected to the rest of Kitsumkalum and an independence towards outside forces. Kitsumkalum members used Ts’iwaan Loop as a place to make their protest against Garlon herbicide in 1985. This showcased Kitsumkalum’s continued interest in their surrounding areas and their protection of their land.  

Kwinitsa 

Inside the Beaver’s Den 

The translation of Kwinitsa is ‘inside the beaver’s den.’ This is made clear with the Tsimshian spelling: Gwini tschow. The literal translation is Gwini means ‘den’ in reference to the big box like traps that have sticks holding them up. Tschow, or tsa, translates to ‘inside’. Thus Gwini tschow becomes Inside the Beaver’s Den.
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway built a station at Kwinitsa. The building was towed to Prince Rupert and now sits in the harbour area as an interpretative centre.  

Cultural Importance 

Kwinitsa is the eastern, upriver end of a 10 mile /16 kilometer stretch of the Skeena River that was a heritage area for the Roberts and Spaldings. The area included the Kwinitsa, Feak, and Scotia Creeks. The western, downriver boundary would be down from the Scotia River. Kwinitsa was, and continues to be, a major resource centre for Kitsumkalum. The tradition of resource collection within the area is one with a long history and was noted by Franz Boas in 1926. He identified the area with the name Sandbar Camp and stated that it was used for the Oolichan harvest. Today people still refer to fishing on the sandbars. Kwinitsa also served as a Coho camp and was the place where Charles Nelson and his family has a place where they made charcoal for the steam boats travelling up the Skeena River.  

Oral History 

Sam Lockerby reported that while living at Port Essington, he beachcombed the Kwinitsa area with Joe Wesley, Felix and Ruby Brown: 

“All I know is the boundary from Kalum here down to Tyee, where all our people in Kalum here can fish, hey? Up and down the river. And food fishing right in Kwinitsa there. Where Stanley built a little shack there, and that’s a little hot spot there for big fish. And Billy and John, they fished just below us by the tower. Lot of good fish there too, [at Kwinitsa].” 

Traditional Use 

The importance of Kwinitsa as a resource centre continues today. Kitsumkalum community members continue to travel to Kwinitsa to harvest oolicjhans every spring. The traditional harvesting schedule has been affected by contemporary development and wage jobs, but the gathering of food and resources continues year to year at Kwinitsa. The importance of this place has not diminished in Kitsumkalum, as its yearly usage indicates.   

Spa Xksuułks 

Port Essington – Fall Camping Place 

As Matriarch Mildred Roberts explained in 2004, “Wilxsuułk is the true name for Port Essington, meaning ‘Fall Camping Place’, ‘Spa Xksuułks’ is a new way of saying it, but not the true way.” 

The name is a significant descriptor of how Spa Xksuułks fit into Kitsumkalum’s aboriginal economic pattern and seasonal rounds. Kitsumkalum people rely heavily on the coastal areas near Port Essington. The location was used traditionally as a residence for autumn economic activities. This fall residence is one of the seasonal settlements the community maintained as part of the annual cycle.  

Cultural Importance 

Spa Xksuułks was an is important for those traveling the Skeena River. This is the traditional resting area where Kitsumkalum people would stop prior to the long two-day journey inland. The journey was difficult as the travelers would have to pole their way against the river’s current.
During colonial times Port Essington was established as cannery city at the mouth of the Skeena River. Traditionally, Kalum people used the area for resource extraction such as logging and sea food harvesting. The Port Essington area at the estuary of the Skeena River was a key residential area for Kitsumkalum to access its several coastal resource gathering sites.  

Traditional Use 

Eddie Feak describes the development of Spa Xksuułks from fall residential and trade townsite to the Cannery town. “Fall time, you know, just when they go back up the river, for winter you see. They call it Spa Xksuułks. And then, after a while, the railroads start come in, and then the canneries start to come in… That’s why, all these people who live in Kalum, that’s where they’re from.”
This trading and residential site is an important element in the collective memories of Kalum people. Spa Xksuułks holds a powerful connection to the people of Kitsumkalum to this day. Elders fondly remember the years they spent growing up in the cannery townsite and on the Port Essington reserve. Of the many areas in the vast Kitsumkalum territory, it is Spa Xksuułks that holds the strongest universal connection to the members of Kitsumkalum. 

Colonization of the Area 

Kitsumkalum use of the Spa Xksuułks area was so predominant and recognized that when colonization and canneries reached the area, a reserve was set aside specifically for Kitsumkalum members. Kalum children began attending the Indian Day School where they encountered assimilation imposed by official government policy.
This convenience of this resting area is another reason why Spa Xksuułks was a central hub of economic life for the people of Kalum, very similar to the importance of Casey Point activity prior the construction Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. 

As Elder Lucy Hayward remembers, “We [Kitsumkalum people] were the first ones that lived there. We were already living there, [when the canneries were built].” 

Ts’m Klax Moolks 

Lockerby Creek – Land of the Wild Crabapple 

Lockerby Creek is an established home site. In the area, there is a house, a smokehouse, gardens and managed cranberry patches. The cranberry patch was harvested and then burned each year for the health of the bushes. 

Elder Ben Bolton hunted mountain goats in the area from his childhood in the early 20th century. 

Traditional Use 

Matriarch Winnie Wesley said the name in Sm’algyax is ‘nakstoolks which is an old word for saying “beside” in reference to the two rivers (Skeena and Ecstall). The newer pronunciation is ‘nastoo. ‘Nastoo means “half of …”.  

Cultural Importance  

Matriarch Addie Turner described the Ecstall as an important economic zone for Kitsumkalum. In her words, 

“Kitsumkalum people went, would go down to, to Port Essington there, and up Ecstall River. That’s where they used to get their goats from, was up by Ecstall River there. They had a sort of little village there that they stayed in every fall. We would hunt there one winter, one year then they’d leave that alone, and then they’d go hunt down at Ecstall River. That way, the animals would increase in one place. You know, it gave a chance, for them to increase all the time.” 

The Ecstall River is a tributary of the Skeena River. The watershed itself serves as a food box for the people of Kitsumkalum. It is an important area for Kitsumkalum manufacturers and food processing. Brown’s Mill is used as trapping area for mink, weasel and martin. Many Kalum members were employed by the Mill when it operated. Several camps are utilized in this area for hunting, harvesting, logging and trapping. Hayward Creek, Brown’s Lake, Madeline Creek, and Twin Falls are just a few of the sites established and used by Kitsumkalum people. 

Matriarch Elizabeth Spalding described how her dad, Mark Bolton, harvested Oolichan and rendered the highly valued oil in the Ecstall area just above Ts’m Klax Moolxs. 

“We split them up the back and soak them in salt water for a while. My mother would smoke them. That’s a lot of work. We would cut them down the back, soak them and clean them to sun dry or smoke them. To make grease she said her dad would use a big pot and build a fire underneath it. They would throw all the Oolichan in and boil it and boil it. The oil would come to the top, they would take the fish out and some people would boil the oil a second time.” 

Lelu Island 

Kitsumkalum’s Settlement Area 

Lelu Island is located just to the north of Inverness Passage and Smith Island. 

The origin of the name ‘Lelu Island’ is unknown. It is believed that it is probably not its indigenous name. 

Lelu was part of the Common Ground of the Allied Tribes. As part of the Allied Tsimshian tribes, Kitsumkalum had Lelu as their settlement area within the Common Ground. 

Cultural Importance 

A heritage and impact assessment recorded archaeological sites on Ridley and Lelu Island. These sites consisted of culturally modified trees, indicating long term resource usage. Some of these sites were found on the edges of Kitsumkalum’s claimed area, indicating the ancient presence of people there. The archaeological survey was limited and excluded parts of Lelu Island, including Kitsumkalum’s residential area. 

Oral History 

Bill Bolton and Chief Don Roberts reported that Kitsumkalum had a settlement on the north side of Lelu Island. Their information came from their fathers (Elders James Bolton and Don Roberts, Sr.). 

Elder Charles Alexcee reported that when Kitsumkalum was having difficulties with the winter they would move to their village between Lelu Island and the mainland. 

Lelu Island is associated with Watson Island, which has known Ganhada village site that had social associations with Kitsumkalum. 

I was 22 years old when Judge O’Reilly first came up here to make reserves for the Indian tribes on the Coast – he came up to Kitsumkalum to lay out an Indian Reserve for the Kitsumkalum Indians. Our great grandfathers and our fathers met together at once and they asked O’Reilly “what is this about- you are coming up here to set apart lands for us; what is this about?” and he said ‘we are going to give you power- we are going to make your land stronger’. That was his answer to our grandfather’s questions. 

Then our grandfathers all agreed and said “All right, put your stakes down, and then they pointed out to Judge O’Reilly the distance where the first stake will be established – where we will get our food, berries and salmon”. The size of the place; it is now a new place – it is a place that was handed down from one generation to another and we told Judge O’Reilly to stake it out from one point to another. Judge O’Reilly directed his men to hue down on a certain side of a tree so that it will be the posts of our grandfathers and fathers believed that our land was being made stronger. Later on after this Mr. Skinner and Mr. Green, who were surveyors, were sent out and these two men out the stakes down much smaller than the place given to us by Judge O’Reilly. The place that we pointed out to Judge O’Reilly that was our established ground where we got our fish and where we used to hunt and that is the place we want. 

Now the place where we used to hunt and get our berries and where we used to get our money the Government has sold it to the white people and now it is gone not withstanding the promises that were given to us by Judge O’Reilly. He said ‘if the white men come they will not touch of land and it will be always yours’ but now it is entirely gone. Now that we have troubles – we are pressed – we are put down, and if we step outside of this square place to gather berries as my fathers used to do, white men will come along and tell us “You get out of there – this is my place”. These things hurt our hearts and makes us sorry. 

–  Charles Nelson, Meeting at Port Essington September 25th, 1915, ROYAL COMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS FOR THE PROVINCE OF B.C.  

Casey Point 

Kitsumkalum’s Ocean Gateway 

Casey Point is located on Kaien Island south of Prince Rupert. Kitsumkalum had at least one annual winter village for the community on Kaien Island at Casey Point, with another settlement near Barett Rock. 

Findings from archaeologists have supported the conclusion that the Tsimshian presence in the area is an ancient one. It has been shown that there were many winter villages in the area surrounding Prince Rupert Harbour, including one at Casey Point.  

Elder Eddie Feak said: 

“Where the Kalum chief had his home… There was a place about a mile and half from that ferry landing, Rupert. See that hill coming down, that mountain? Right below it, there’s two foundations, the older village. One village. They claim that, they dig it out, they look at it, and it’s six thousand years old. Yeah, it’s four feet on top of that clam shell that foundation. It’s about two years back there’s a slide on the hillside and the rock tip. You can go up and see it.” 

“Dad said the settlement at Casey Point was used for migration down [to coastal resources] in the wintertime. Well, when Dad got on the deck of my fishing boat, he said that’s our winter site, Kalum’s winter site; and, he said it just as important as the site in the Kalum Valley…” – Don Roberts Jr. 

Cultural Important 

Elder Wallace Miller provided a very important insight about the harbour area. His grandfather had said the west side of Kaien Island was a place where people from all the communities gathered and was a common area within which each community had its well-known area for its own use. These specific use areas belonged to the particular community that occupied them. Casey Point was occupied by Kitsumkalum people.  

In the early-20th century, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway greatly damaged the residential area at Casey Point. This was very detrimental to Kitsumkalum’s ability to continue living there seasonally and radically changed the relationship of the people to coastal resource areas. Nonetheless, Casey Point continues to hold great cultural importance. 

Oral History 

Kitsumkalum Elders today remember their own Elders (their grandparents’ generation) describing residential sites in the area of Casy Point from the present boundary of Prince Rupert to Barret Rock. 

“This was an area where several Kitsumkalum families stayed during particular times each year, including the families of the Gisbutwada, the Ganhada, and the Laxgiik. 
Kaien Island which was really the route of the ancient people’s canoes, of all tribes.” 
– William Beynon’s record of a conversation between himself and Matthew Jonson of Port Simpson and Henry Collinson of Gitxaała in the Beynon Notebooks.  

“When I was a little kid with my uncle on his boat he told me where Casey Point was… they used to live off there – that’s where they lived. All in that area of Casey Point. That land belongs to us.” – Wally Miller, Kitsumkalum elder. 

“Dad did say that there was [a camp] beside Barrett Rock. There was something there but he never really pointed that out. You know – he’s talked about it. Beside Barrett Rock there was another location there where Kalum spent a lot more time [a campsite]” – S. Bolton 

Robin Woman 

Another name for Kitsumkalum is People of the Robin. This refers to oral histories about the founding of the original town and about Robin Woman. She was a supernatural person who lived at Casey Point and inland at the Kalum Canyon. She is famous as a herald of spring who opens the winter ice on the Skeena. She is also a key allegory for Kalum’s coastal and river heritage. 

The Kitsumkalum settlement in the harbour was one among many Coast Tsimshian “tribal” villages that were once around Prince Rupert Harbour and Salt Water Passage. 

Casey Point was a traditional settlement and resource area for Kitsumkalum. Most importantly, it provided their strategic connection to their ocean and marine resources. From here, families could access locations such as Lax Spa Suunt and Kewl’mass, as well as the Skeena River. 

Mud Bay  

Fleming Bay  

Mud Bay was originally named “port Flemming” in 1879 by Captain J.C. Brundige. He named it after Sir Sanford Fleming, who was closely associated as Engineer in Chief with the survey and construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, 1871-1880. Its Tsimshian name is not specified, but it was and is still commonly called Mud Bay. 

Cultural Importance 

Mud Bay was a site of resource collection and processing. Food resources such as deer, geese, ducks, sea lions, seals, shrimp, crabs, prawns, halibut, cod, spring salmon, and other sea foods have all been reported as being gathered from there, both in the past and in the present. This illustrates Mud Bay’s significance as a resource centre for Kitsumkalum. 

Oral History  

Gord Roberts (Ganhada man): 

“We hunt deer. That’s our traditional hunting ground. Trapline ran right along Granville Channel all the way up to the tip of where Anger Mountain is? Pitt Island. Salmon River. Dad use to have a cabin out there long time ago.” 

Traditional Use 

Chief Don Roberts Jr. on the importance of the land and its protection: 

I guess the main thing we got to protect here is the crabs, ‘cause that’s what they’re targeting and they’re just on a little area, the crabs. … if we had one thing protected it’d be the boundary sign I guess, and somewhere around here, there should this would be a protection and boundary sign. And maybe from up here, should be a crab protection area at Mud Bay and all along Merrick Island and Gibson for our own use and probably that use would be with this other tribe here, Kitkatla. 

Kwel’maas 

Island Point 

Kwel’maas can roughly be tanslated into ‘Where Bark.’ William Beynon reported on this name: 

The place was abundant in large hemlock trees from which bark was gotten and the inner sap bark was gathered together and beaten as a pulp, then made into plugs and was considered a great delicacy mixed with wild rice and Oolichan oil (Beynon Notebooks). 

Cultural Importance 

Kwel’maas is the site of a Kitsumkalum coastal residence on Porcher Island where different sea food was, and continues to be, gathered. Herring eggs were a key food that Kitsumkalum people gathered there. It is located near a shared common area for the Tsimshian Nation and was Kitsumkalum’s portion. Kitsumkalum kept several houses here, which fell into disuse in the mid-20th century, however Kitsumkalum members continued to utilize the resources. Evidence of the houses remains and remnants show where the houses stood.  

Oral History 

Matriarch Mildred Roberts of Kitsumkalum spent time at Kwel’maas with her family while growing up in the early 20th century: 

“We stayed there, ah, during herring egg season. I remember that because there were herring eggs hanging and drying. They just put poles along in the porch of my grandmother’s place and theywould just hang the big kelps over, or the lagii – you know the stingray kind? Or the branches, they’d just hang them on … let them dry. They were getting herring eggs and seaweed.” 

Traditional Use 

Chief Don Roberts Jr.: 

“Well the herring eggs, I’ll go there the first week or second week of April and get them and that’s it’s own season. But when you try and do herring eggs, you try not to do to many things at once there, because it, fish slime mixed with different fish slime is not too good and healthy. Try to do one thing first, and you get something small beside it and, but then we usually go out get the halibut on a different trip.” 

Lax Spa Suunt 

Arthur Island – Home of Summer 

Lax Spa Suunt is located south of Prince Rupert. The Island is buffered between the south eastern end of Stephens Island and the north western side of Porcher Island. The narrow Prescott Pass runs between Stephens Island and Arthur Island, with the larger Edye Passage separating Arthur Island from Porcher Island. 

Cultural Importance 

Lax Spa Suunt is a frequently used resource and residential site for Kitsumkalum members. It had a number of cabins owned by Kitsumkalum members and was considered to be a summer home. 

Oral History 

Mildred Roberts remembers her childhood: 

“August and then January, February we lived there. That’s on this end where the big tree is. It’s where the cabins are, and we lived there for two months. Ah, cleaning – clam digging – and canning them and drying them… and then after she [Mildred’s grandmother] married Sam and then they started coming out too. Wherever we went they always came along and lived with us but the only cabin that I knew they had was here and here, but the rest of the places they always lived with us. And then in Lax Spa Suunt they put walls on that little shack and that was the only one that was left there now. I don’t know if it’s still standing.” 

Eddie Feak, 1980: 

“Well, they go out there, get some things. Just the [Kalum] people used to go out there and dry some clams. In January, February. And then get some halibut, dry some halibut. And then, in about April, they get some fish eggs. That’s how they, they used to live them. 
And there’s one point, I forgot the name of the point. There used to be a lot of halibut there. Where they get a lot of fish eggs. There used to be a lot of houses there. Where they get a lot of fish eggs.” 

Traditional Use 

Ben Bolton, 1980: 

“Oh, fish eggs, you would gather it, you’d probably have to move out to camp from Easter time, start paddling over, or get ready for your fish eggs. You’d have to set up your … even though you lived at the camp last summer you’d still have to do a little work to change the wood that you used to dry the fish on, your fish eggs on. Then, you see, you’re not there strictly [for harvesting] fish eggs, you’re there gathering all these different types of seafood.”